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Table of Contents Rabobank Regional Business Center ..........
1
President's Corner .................................... 2
Thousand Palms Community Center .......... 4 Business of the Month
.............................. 6
Event Calendar ........................................ 8
Chamber and Local News
THOUSAND PALMS RABOBANK REGIONAL BUSINESS CENTER
Coachella Valley Chambers and CVEP Representatives . . . get
their scissors out to celebrate the opening of the Rabobank
Regional Business Center located at 3111 E. Tahquitz Can-yon Way in
Palm Springs. The center is a one-stop shop for Coachella Valley
businesses to explore the benefits available to them in the form of
government programs, grants, tax credits, Foreign Trade Zone
designation, and other resources that make the Coachella Valley
more competitive for current and prospective entrepreneurs.
Thousand Palms Chamber Office Manager Gail Heveron, third from
right, cut the ribbon on be-half of the Thousand Palms Chamber of
Commerce. The Center will also host one of twelve iHubs in
California to provide technical training and financial assistance
for busi-nesses working in clean technology and renewable energy.
The program is part of California's Innovation Hub Initiative an
effort to modernize the way the state helps new businesses get a
leg up.
TOWN HALL MEETING
CATHEDRAL CITY ANNEXATION OF THOUSAND PALMS Saturday, Dec. 10,
2011
1:00 PM at Tri-Palms/Shenandoah Clubhouse
Andy Hall, Cathedral City Community
Development Director; George Spiliotis, executive director of
Riverside County LAFCO; Thousand Palms Preservation
Action Group representatives and more, will answer questions
on potential Cathedral City annexation.
Shenandoah Clubhouse 32700 Desert Moon Drive,
Thousand Palms
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL 760-343-2440
volume 3 Fall Issue 2011
Meetings on Cathedral Citys Potential Annexation of Thousand
Palms
Dec. 8 LAFCO will hear Berger Foundation request for
Reconsideration at 9:30 AM at La Quinta City Hall. Dec. 10 Town
Hall Meeting with Cathedral City reps and LAFCOs George Spiliotis
to be held at 1 PM at the Shenandoah Clubhouse, address above Dec.
15 Thousand Palms Community Council Meeting to be held at 6 PM at
the Thousand Palms Community Center, behind the Art Samson Library
on Robert Road.
Thousand Palms Chamber of Commerce to Lease Office Space The
Thousand Palms Chamber is looking to lease the 1,400 sq. ft. office
formerly occu-pied by Animal Samaritans in the Chamber building at
72715 La Canada Way in Thousand Palms. This is a great opportunity
for a non-profit or some other business to acquire office or
meeting hall space at only about 85 cents per square foot. It has a
separate entrance and includes kitchen and conference room use, a
fenced parking lot and an extra lot next door if needed. Exterior
soon to be painted. It is located in the C.V. Enterprise Zone
(cveza.org) business benefit area. Please call Bill Swedeen,
760-343-3652.
http://cveza.org
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The President's Corner
The season for giving and receiving is upon us, and once again
Rabobank has gener-ously offered to co-host our annual Holiday
Mixer to be held Wed., Dec. 14 at the bank on Ramon Road in
Thousand Palms. There will be lots of good food, raffle prizes and
seasonal goodies in the form of cookies, candies, entertainment and
networking op-
portunities. Businesses donating raffle prizes will receive
in-creased recognition for their trade specialties, and everyone
can add to their holiday joy by donating a non-perishable food item
or unwrapped children's toy or gift to make a few more families
holidays brighter. This is a free event open to all members and
their guests and a grand way to welcome in the winter Holiday
Season. Special thanks to everyone who has helped to make the
Chamber grow, and who has contrib-uted their time, energy, gifts,
expertise, knowledge and pa-
tience this year. Lets affirm that this coming year will be full
of hope, faith, optimism, and lots of diligent hard work as we
stick together to break the grip of our anemic economy. See you at
the Party in December! Chas Allen, 760-568-1595
2011 CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Chas Allen Photo
Colorgraphix 760-760-568-1595 [email protected] Vice
President Patricia Saleh Thousand Palms Community Council
760-343-2440 [email protected] Secretary/Treasurer
Letty Valdez Co-Owner Petes Automotive 760-343-2689
[email protected] Director Armando Leon F.S.O. Rabobank on
Ramon Road 760-343-2965 [email protected] Director Wes
Sanders Commercial Buyer SA Recycling 760-343-0499
[email protected] Director Birgit Phillips Safe House of the
Desert 760-660-1755 [email protected] Director Marie
Brunner Director Animal Samaritans Clinic 760-601-3916
[email protected] Director Bill Swedeen Owner Central
Valley Real Estate 760-343-3652 [email protected] Director Bill
Senso Della S. Lindley Elementary School PTG (310) 488-9611
[email protected] Director David Stern Marketing Director KPSP Channel
2 760) 343-5702 [email protected]
From the Chamber Office Busy, busy, busy is what describes our
Chamber office. Who says summer and autumn are slow? Not any more!
We enjoy promoting our great Chamber businesses in a variety of
ways. Here in the office we have business cards, brochures, menus,
'things to do' and more! Recently we had a booth at a business
event in Coachella. The Chamber brings the whole community together
through mixers and other events, and we network with other
Coachella Valley organizations and communities to promote Thousand
Palms. Your membership not only benefits your business but the
en-tire community. We are looking for more Chamber Ambassadors,
those fan-tastic doers who get the job done. If you are looking for
a fun way to serve, call me at 760-343-1988. Our 20th annual
Thousand Palms Halloween Carnival was another great success. Many
thanks to Thousand Palms Childcare Center for organizing it, and to
our Chamber folks for working the Cook Shack. Keep in mind that
1,400 sq. ft. of our office building is avail-able to rent, with
kitchen, conference room, and secured parking included. Those funds
help keep the Chamber go-ing. Call Bill Swedeen at 760-343-3652.
Please make sure we have your e-mail address to get news about our
events. If you don't have e-mail, check our newslet-ter and Website
at www.thousandpalmschamber.com Gail Heveron, Office Mgr., M,W,F
8-12:00 760-343-1988
Thousand Palms Chamber Newsletter Patricia Saleh, Editor
"Facing it always facing it that's the way to get through. Face
it!" Joseph Conrad
mailto:[email protected]://www.thousandpalmschamber.com/
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MEET YOUR THOUSAND PALMS CHAMBER DIRECTORS AND AMBASSADORS
Danielle Fisher Ambassador Danielle Fisher is a great,
get-things-done addition to the Chamber Ambassadors group. She
works as the
Marketing and Event Planner for The Club at Shenan-doah Springs
and has already helped coordinate several successful mixers and
luncheons for the Chamber at Shen-andoah and elsewhere. She was
born in Colorado and graduated from Cathedral City High School in
2002. She studied at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs
and at Drury University in Springfield, MO, before moving back to
Palm Springs in 2005. She has worked for the past five years in
property management and customer service with an emphasis on
homeowners associations, vacation and luxury housing. The Chamber
is looking forward to more input from this effective young dynamo
in the months to come.
Enterprise Zone Helps Businesses The Thousand Palms Chamber was
listed as a co-sponsor of the Free Riverside County Enterprise Zone
Regional Business Opportunities Seminar held on November 8, 2011 at
the Coachella Boys & Girls Club. Chamber Office Manager Gail
Heveron set up a booth displaying Chamber members busi-ness
brochures and cards as well as the regional benefits of locating in
Thousand Palms. The event was co-presented by the Coachella Val-ley
Enterprise Zone, California State Controller John Chiang, and
California State Assemblyman Manuel Perez and the Governors Office
of Eco-nomic Development. It was attended by interested people from
all over the Coachella Valley. Topics of the seminar included
Regional Business Opportuni-ties, Small Business Financing,
Enterprise Zones and other Local Incentive Programs, State and
Federal Tax Resources. For further information on these top-ics,
please contact the State Controllers Office at 866-305-9991. Since
its inception in 1991, Enterprise Zone tax cred-its have saved
Coachella Valley businesses millions of dollars, and among those
saving are members of the Thousand Palms Chamber. For further
informa-tion on the Thousand Palms Enterprise Zone, con-tact Atay
Ramirez at 760-391-5176.
Office on Aging Moves to La Quinta Fourth District Supervisor
John Benoit recently announced the Riverside County Office on Aging
has moved its desert satellite office to 78-900 Avenue 47, Suite
200 in La Quinta. The office serves seniors and disabled adults in
eastern Riverside County. Office hours are from 7 AM to 5:30 PM.
Monday through Thursday. The new office phone number is
760-771-0501.
This new location is con-venient for seniors across the
Coachella Valley and close to areas where the service need is
great, said Ed Walsh, director of the Riverside County Of-fice on
Aging. Services provided by the Coachella Valley office include:
the physical fit-ness program, Fit After 50; the Info Van; the
Sen-ior Community Service Employment Program and the Multiple
Senior Services Program.
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Thousand Palms Chamber Ambassadors Chairman Roy Nokes Thousand
Palms Community Council 760-343-1188 [email protected] Diane
Sarauer Desert Online 760-324-0797 [email protected] Mike
Lemche Owner Microcool 760-322-1111 [email protected] Holly
Haas Costco Deli Manager 760-770-2810 Dr. Simone Kovats Principal
Della Lindley Elementary School 760-343-7570 Fred Saunders
Executive Director Animal Samaritans 760-343-3506
[email protected] Brian Phelps Customer Service
Supervisor Rabobank, Thousand Palms Branch 760-343-0872 Danielle
Fisher Marketing & Events Manager Shenandoah Springs
760-343-3497 Ruth Picone Community Member 760-343-1586 Stanley
Forrest Owner Forrest Specialties 760-636-6955 Mike Ascani Owner
Mike the Handyman 760-343-7789
County Budget Update
Per 4th District Supervisor John Benoits office, the Riverside
County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a recommended $4.8
billion budget for Fiscal Year 2011-2012. Of that amount, $630.3
million is dis-cretionary spending that the Board directly
controls, a significant drop from the 2009-10 level of $744
million. The pie chart above shows where these resources are
expended. Many contacted the Supervisors office about the
possi-bility of layoffs in the Sheriffs Department. Key to
avert-ing these layoffs in this budget was $11.3 million in sal-ary
and benefit reductions imposed on the Riverside Sheriffs
Association. While opposed by the union, the savings along with
Prop 172 reserve funding pro-tected jobs and helped bring the
sheriffs budget into near balance. Redistricting: For more
information on 4th District redistricting, please visit the
committees Web site to see the proposed maps. Supervisor Benoits
district, the largest in Riverside County, will now include Desert
Hot Springs as well.
http://www.rivcoredistricting.org/AllDistricts.aspxhttp://www.rivcoredistricting.org/AllDistricts.aspx
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Thousand Palms Community Center Update Rob Carson, former
Thousand Palms Community Center Coordinator, has moved on to help
with the Desert Recrea-tion District computer program Active, one
of his indispen-sable areas of expertise. Carson was an energetic
spear-head for all of the current programs operating at TPCC and
will be hard to replace. Taking over his duties in the mean-time
are Carina Rios and Rigo Figueroa under the direc-tion of
Supervisor Joey Acuna, Jr. Acuna said that the Center will probably
have another person coming in as Co-ordinator to attend public
meetings, etc. but the Centers programs are still moving forward
under his direction at present. Zumba classes are now offered two
days a week, only at 7 PM. The Afterschool Program is still going
strong with about 40 children attending. And Fathers Heart Charter
School in Thousand Palms is bringing a group in from the School for
their exercise program.
The Thousand Palms Community Center itself is avail-able for
family and event rentals, and the Pavilions in the Community Park
can be rented to Thousand Palms resi-dents for a special rate of
just $80 per day each. For more information about classes, facility
rental or any other activities please feel free to call the
Community Cen-ter at 343-3595 or go on to
www.myrecreationdistrict.com.
New Chamber Members & Renewals New Members Ivey Ranch Golf
& Country Club 75-580 Varner Road Thousand Palms CA 92211
760-343-0445
Golf, snack bar open to the public Command One Security P.O. Box
13235 Palm Desert, CA 92255 760-568-0052
www.commandone.com,
Home, business security for 30 years Desert Business Interiors
72162 Hwy 111 Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 (760)340-1112
www.desertbusinessinteriors.com,
Office Furniture, Design and Planning The PLD Group 31-265
Reserve Drive, Suite A, Thousand Palms 760-202-9035
www.thepldgroup.com
Printing, mailing, database management Frazier Pest Control
68920 Adelina Street, Cathedral City
866-381-8298 www.frazierpestcontrol.com
Rid homes of roaches, rodents, safely New Individual Members
Trevor Goss, Palm Desert artist
Renewing Members MicroCool, Misting systems Petes Automotive,
Auto and RV Repairs
Around Town . . . Rabobank in Thousand Palms proudly reported
that the bank recently received commendation from J.D. Power &
Associates as Highest Customer Satis-faction with Retail Banking in
California. Rabobank has expanded its ATM network
to more than 500 Walgreens across California and has maintained
its 6th-place position in Global Finance Magazines ranking of the
Worlds Safest Banks. Rabobank evolved from the joining of two
farmers coop-eratives in the Netherlands. Having little access to
the capital market, enterprising rural folk decided to help one
another. In 1980, the bank formally adopted the name it uses today,
Rabobank Nederland. Rabobank International was established in 1996
when it began opening offices outside of the Netherlands, including
in North America.
http://www.commandone.com/http://www.desertbusinessinteriors.com/http://www.thepldgroup.com/
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BUSINESS OF THE MONTH PETES AUTOMOTIVE Letty Valdez of Petes
Automotive has been a member of the Thousand Palms Chamber for 11
years and currently serves as Secretary-Treasurer on the Chamber
board. She grew up in Mecca, CA, and went to Coa-
chella Valley High School. She graduated from UC Irvine in 1983
with a degree in Sociology. Husband Pete grew up in Indio and
studied at Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix. He opened
Petes Automotive in Thousand Palms in 1981. He and Letty married
after her graduation, and they lived in Thousand Palms for 24 years
before moving to
La Quinta. They have two children, a 24-year-old daughter and a
22-year-old son. Letty and Pete are standard fixtures at Chamber
events and recently donated a much needed Quick Books program to
the Chamber. Pete's Automotive offers com-plete auto/RV repair, AAA
approved. Learn more about Petes at www.petesthousandpalmsauto.com,
760-343-2689.
Letty Valdez
IVEY RANCH GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB NEWS by Barbara Smith, HOA
President Ivey Ranch Golf & Country Club in Thousand Palms has
nine beautiful tree-lined holes of golf that offer a challenge for
the better player as well as being very user friendly for the
average player. The golf course is always in excellent condition
with greens that are fast and true. Tee times are available one
week in advance. Golfers can play nine or 18 holes with the average
nine-hole taking about two hours in season. The Ivey Ranch driving
range offers seasonal passes or balls by the bucket. There is a
large putting green and two chipping greens and sand bunkers to
prac-tice your short game. Ivey Ranch offers private golf lessons
and a golf school that caters to all levels of golfers. Many
beginning golfers in the Coachella Valley started their golf
careers at Ivey Ranch. The Ivey Ranch Golf Shop has many gift
products and a wide range of golf merchandise and golf equipment.
The prices are very competitive and the service is outstanding. In
addition to our golf facilities, we have a full service snack bar
open to the public seven days a week during season from 7:00 AM to
2 PM. Special Menus are avail-able a couple of nights a week.
Sunday Brunch is served from 10:00 AM to Noon. Please visit our
golf course lo-cated at 74580 Varner Rd. and see for yourself the
great value in Ivey Ranch Country Club. Call 760-343-0445.
http://www.petesthousandpalmsauto.com/
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NOVDEC 2011 NOVDEC 2011
Chamber Mixers Second Wednesday of Every Month Food, Beverages,
Door Prizes, Wine
5:30-7:30 PM Location Announced Each Month
$5 members, $8 non-members
Chamber Luncheons with Speaker Fourth Wednesday of Every
Month
11:30 AM Rendezvous Restaurant, Shenandoah Springs
32700 Desert Moon Drive, Thousand Palms $10 per person
I-10 Corridor Meetings
Second Wednesday of Every Month 10:00 AM at Thousand Palms
Community Center
31189 Robert Road, Thousand Palms Call Kathy Boltz at
1-909-383-4416 for further info
Thousand Palms Chamber Board Meetings
Third Wednesday of Every Month 8:00 AM at Chamber Office
72715 La Canada, Thousand Palms, CA 92276 1-760-343-1988 for
further information
Thousand Palms Community Center Advisory Committee
Third Monday of every Month at 6 PM at the Center All interested
persons are welcome to attend.
For Further Information on All Chamber Activities Call Gail
Heveron at the Chamber 8-12 noon, M-W-F
1-760-343-1988 NEW E-Mail: [email protected]
Al Anon
Wednesday and Friday Nights 7:00 PM
Thousand Palms Chamber Board Room 72715 La Canada, Thousand
Palms, CA 92276
GENERAL INFORMATION Thousand Palms Community Council Meeting
6:00 PM the last Thursday of Every Month Thousand Palms
Community Center
31189 Robert Road, Thousand Palms
2011 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
72715 La Canada, Thousand Palms, CA
SUPPORT YOUR CHAMBER!
Join the Thousand Palms Chamber of Com-merce for only $35 per
year (social member-ship) and get news about your community
de-livered right to your door in every bulletin! Business
memberships starting at only $100 per year. For just $75 extra per
year you receive a busi-ness-card-size ad in every bulletin. You
cant beat it! Sign up at 1-760-343-1988
